On This Day in Baseball

December 16

25 notable birthdays · 18 in memoriam

Born on December 16

Most accomplished baseball figures with this birthday, ranked by career impact.

01

Pete Fairbanks b. 1993

MLB player 2019– St. Louis, USA
02

Sammy Strang b. 1876

.269 avg, 16 HR 1896–1908 Chattanooga, USA
03

Mike Flanagan b. 1951

167-143, 3.90 ERA 1975–1992 Manchester, USA
04

Lefty Wilson b. 1916

13-10, 3.39 ERA Limestone County, USA
05

Adolfo Phillips b. 1941

.247 avg, 59 HR 1964–1972 Bethania, Panama
06

Pete Hotaling b. 1856

.267 avg, 9 HR 1879–1888 Mohawk, USA
07

Heriberto Hernandez b. 1999

.241 avg, 35 HR 2025– Bonao, D.R.
08

Bryan De La Cruz b. 1996

.252 avg, 60 HR 2021– Santo Domingo Este, D.R.
09

Joe Berry b. 1904

.157 avg, 0 HR 1942–1946 Huntsville, USA
10

Tom Gorman b. 1957

12-10, 4.34 ERA 1981–1987 Portland, USA
11

Tom Wilhelmsen b. 1983

.000 avg, 0 HR 2011–2017 Tucson, USA
12

Henry Wright b. 1906

15-19, 4.60 ERA Columbia, USA
13

Chris Jones b. 1965

.252 avg, 30 HR 1991–2000 Utica, USA
14

Carson Seymour b. 1998

MLB player 2025– Poway, USA
15

Chris Britton b. 1982

MLB player 2006–2008 Hollywood, USA
16

Jack Barnett b. 1879

.238 avg, 0 HR 1907–1907 Ventura, USA
17

Bryan Anderson b. 1986

.221 avg, 0 HR 2010–2015 Thousand Oaks, USA
18

Chris Jelic b. 1963

.091 avg, 1 HR 1990–1990 Bethlehem, USA
19

Rondin Johnson b. 1958

.258 avg, 0 HR 1986–1986 Bremerton, USA
20

Jason Wood b. 1969

.245 avg, 5 HR 1998–2008 San Bernardino, USA
21

Tommy Bianco b. 1952

.176 avg, 0 HR 1975–1975 Rockville Centre, USA
22

Ryan Lollis b. 1986

.167 avg, 0 HR 2015–2015 Houston, USA
23

Ted Wilborn b. 1958

.100 avg, 0 HR 1979–1980 Waco, USA
24

Mickey Jannis b. 1987

MLB player 2021–2021 Carson City, USA
25

Randy Hennis b. 1965

.000 avg, 0 HR 1990–1990 Clearlake, USA

Remembered on December 16

Baseball figures lost on this date.

01

Cecil Travis 1913–2006

.314 avg, 27 HR 1933–1947
02

Walter Ball 1877–1946

32-27, 2.65 ERA
03

Debs Garms 1907–1984

.293 avg, 17 HR 1932–1945
04

Ted Abernathy 1933–2004

63-69, 3.46 ERA 1955–1972
05

Fred Waterman 1845–1899

.333 avg, 0 HR 1871–1875
06

Jim Winford 1909–1970

14-18, 4.56 ERA 1932–1938
07

Jack Himes 1878–1949

.245 avg, 0 HR 1905–1906
08

Jim McAnany 1936–2015

.253 avg, 0 HR 1958–1962
09

Albert Hall 1958–2025

.251 avg, 5 HR 1981–1989
10

Leonard Lindsay 1909–1988

.263 avg, 0 HR
11

Dick Bayless 1883–1920

.225 avg, 1 HR 1908–1908
12

Rich Rundles 1981–2019

MLB player 2008–2009
13

Jake Caulfield 1917–1986

.277 avg, 0 HR 1946–1946
14

Jimmy Cockerham 1910–1963

.250 avg, 0 HR
15

Bob Kahle 1915–1988

.333 avg, 0 HR 1938–1938
16

Frank Boyd 1868–1937

.200 avg, 0 HR 1893–1893
17

Lee Dashner 1887–1959

MLB player 1913–1913
18

Frog Lindsay 1885–1964

.167 avg, 0 HR

December 16 in the record

Leading the December 16 birthdays is Pete Fairbanks, first of 25 players shown. From Pete Hotaling in 1856 to Heriberto Hernandez in 1999, the births cover a long stretch of the game. Next on the December 16 birthday list are Sammy Strang (b. 1876, .269 avg, 16 HR) and Mike Flanagan (b. 1951, 167-143, 3.90 ERA). December 16 birthplaces outside the United States include Panama and D.R. The highest-ranked hitter born on December 16, Sammy Strang, carries a .269 avg, 16 HR line, and the highest-ranked pitcher, Mike Flanagan, went 167-143, 3.90 ERA. The span for Pete Fairbanks, Heriberto Hernandez, and Bryan De La Cruz ends in a dash, meaning no last game is recorded. Remembered on December 16: 18 names, starting with Cecil Travis. Walter Ball (1877–1946) and Debs Garms (1907–1984) follow Cecil Travis on the list. Deaths on the list run from Fred Waterman's in 1899 to Albert Hall's in 2025. The December 16 order reflects the site's career-impact ranking, and every name opens the player's profile.